2 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

Sunday night was a frustrating loss, but I can't get too down on Turgeon. Mainly because I think the future looks great.

Current year Thoughts:

This current team has enough talent to make the tournament. Not making it would be disappointing. Had Allen been healthy from the start, and they did not make it; I would have labeled it a failure. I won't do that if they don't make the tournament, with Allen not back until the last week of December.

I would label it disappointing.

You knew going into the season MD figured to be a bubble team. A bubble team in the best conference, so there are opportunities for good wins... but a bubble team all the same, whose biggest issue (PG play) became an even greater liability with Allen's injury.

If MD finishes 7th in ACC play as projected, they will have a shot at the tournament... but they've already lost to UConn on a neutral floor (not a bad loss at all, but a missed opportunity at a quality win)... you've now lost to a team projected to finish 10th in the Pac 12. A major conference opponent, so it makes the loss less embarrassing, but if you are finishing 7th in the ACC... losing to Oregon State will hurt later.

Most people will project - with reason - MD to lose at Ohio State. That's 3 OOC losses already, without a quality win.

Tulsa at home, George Washington at the BB&T...  Marist, Loyola Marymount, Providence / Vanderbilt / La Salle at the Paradise Jam.... you might find 1 or 2 RPI 100 wins there (not Marist obviously)... but none of them are definitively Top 100. Several should be Top 150 though.

Which means, unless you upset Ohio State...  your tournament resume will be almost completely what you do in ACC play. If you exceed expectations, you are in. If you don't, you won't.

A loss in November does not preclude MD from making the tournament, but it could certainly hurt come March.

Next Year:
 

2014-15 Terps

Guards:  Faust (Sr), Allen (Jr), Peters (Soph), Trimble (Frosh), Wiley (Frosh)

Wings: Wells (Sr), Layman (Soph), Nickens (Frosh)
Bigs: Mitchell (Jr), Cleare (Jr), Smotrycz (Sr), Dodd (Soph), Reed (Frosh)

 

My expectations for '14-'15 are a Top 16 team to enter the year, capable of winning the Big Ten. MD should not be on the bubble in '14-'15... if they are, Turgeon's seat should be hot, recruiting success or not.

 

There should be a good balance with that roster.

With Allen, Peters, and Trimble... PG should not be an issue. You have 3 combo guards there, so it might not be great.. but it won't be the liability it is right now.

 

At the 4 & 5, you'd have Mitchell, Smotrycz, Cleare, Dodd, and Reed. With Dodd having another year of development, and Reed's skill-set; you will have a couple of rim defenders.

With Layman, and Wells; you will have two very experienced and talented players to build around. The question will be how consistent can they be?

 

Coach Turgeon Overall:

We interviewed Jay Bilas and Mike DeCourcy when Turgeon was hired. They were both really high on Turgeon's abilities. So, I don't think Turgeon has forgotten how to Coach.

I don't think anyone can be real impressed by what we've seen tactically from him though. Of course you have to factor in the PG issues (and general talent issues overall) of the roster during his tenure. I think it is also fair to think we will see more of the coach Turgeon was described as being, as the overall talent continues to improve.

I like that Turgeon stresses rebounding, and wants to be strong defensively. I know Turgeon values sound 1/2 court defense, but I would like to see more pressing and trapping (even if that led to some easy baskets) vs. sitting back passively though. Especially this year, without Len as a rim defender. I'd like to see MD's guards and wings in better positions to play the passing lanes and create offense from defense.

I'd also like to see Turgeon take a bit more accountability in his comments. It would be nice to hear him occasionally say, "I didn't do enough on my side." I don't think we've heard him do that enough.

He's assembled a great recruiting staff with Bino, Spinelli, and Hill. We will see what happens with Hill, but regardless - at-least Hill has helped open up DC Assault (now Premier) and Team Takeover. 

As long as the talent continues to come in, the results (and expectations) will also increase.


 

[glenn__davis]

Seems like for the past decade we've been projecting out the roster, saying "They should be really good by such and such year", and it never comes to fruition.

 

I've been frustrated with the results under Turgeon because I think this team should be performing better than it is.  I still think he's a good coach, though I do wonder if MD is the best fit for him.  I guess we'll see.  If this team doesn't make the tourney this year, I think he should start to feel some heat.  Then see how the next wave of recruits comes in and go from there.

 

i think the frustrating thing is you just don't see a lot of progress.  RobShields said in the other thread that the team would get better throughout the year, and someone responded that they didn't get better last year, and I generally agree with that.  But hopefully this year will be different.  If they can look like a different team when Seth comes back, the committee will take that into consideration as well.

 

Like I said though, at this point you just let it play out.  He certainly gets through at least next year to see how that '14 class looks. 

 

EDIT - Forgot to add - I get frustrated by his quotes after games as well.  I usually pay almost no attention to these things because it's all just coach speak.  But Turgeon seems to constantly like to broadcast that he doesn't know how to fix what's wrong.  Doesn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Seems like for the past decade we've been projecting out the roster, saying "They should be really good by such and such year", and it never comes to fruition.

This has definitely been true multiple times in the last 1/2 dozen years. The lone exception being when Vasquez announced he was coming back for his Sr. year ('09-'10). I looked at that team, with J. Williams coming-in; and thought they had a chance to be really good.

Maryland hasn't had a ton of talent since that point, but losing Williams, Stoglin, and now Len early has had impact. College teams get past the loss of players early all the time, but it's harder when you are not bringing in a lot of talent. Should be easier to just re-load going forward.

It would be very frustrating if the team projected above, isn't good. Unexpected departures could have impact there.

I agree with the general point though. Can't continue to look ahead. Have to focus on the now. It's still November, and there is enough talent here for this team to get to the Dance.